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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who tells Hugo that the imagination has an impulse to create unknowns out of knowns?

2. Hugo observes that the three prostitutes look so scroungy that one might contract VD just ____.

3. Hugo suggests that with the accumulated losses of knowns, the imagination is faced with the problem of preserving the world through _____.

4. Hugo is distrustful of Eliot and Roethke because late in their careers the announced that they were _____.

5. What city does Hugo visit again in April, 1964?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Auden express his disdain for competitiveness among writers?

2. How does Hugo feel about the British colonel and why?

3. What is the conclusion Hugo makes regarding the Ph.D. system in literature?

4. What does Hugo see as the inherent flaw in the hiring of some writing teachers?

5. Describe Hugo's analogy of the mask and how it changes as the poet progresses.

6. Why does Hugo say to take emotional possession of a few words?

7. Why does Hugo say not to write with a pen?

8. Why is acclaim considered by Hugo to be dangerous to the poet?

9. Why does Hugo say that Cerignola has a bad reputation in Italy?

10. How is "grammarphobia" a problem in writing, according to the author?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare Hugo's impression of Italy during World War II and Italy when he and his wife visit after the war. What has changed? How does he put closure on his war experience?

Essay Topic 2

What are the advantages pointed out by Hugo of making up the rules as the poet goes along? What should making up rules do for the poet?

Essay Topic 3

What are Hugo's thoughts on having a stance in writing a poem? What examples does he give regarding stance and how does the presence or absence of a stance determine the poem's effectiveness?

(see the answer keys)

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